Area doctor, assistant indicted for alleged Medicaid, Medicare fraud

A Columbus-area doctor and his office manager were arrested Wednesday and brought up on more than a dozen federal charges each tied to an alleged health-care fraud scheme to the tune of more than $100,000.

A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court in Columbus on Wednesday unsealed the indictment against Dr. Charles C. Njoku of Powell and Veronica Scott-Guiler of Orient. U.S. Attorney Carter Stewart’s office said Njoku, 60, had offices in Columbus and Akron and billed for Medicaid and Medicare services under his name and the Peoples Family Medical Center. Scott-Guiler, 41, supervised the Columbus office.

The alleged fraud scheme took place from early 2005 through 2009 and involved billing the government programs for visits and tests that weren’t provided as billed. Terms of health-care providers’ contracts with the programs require services to low-income patients to be necessary and exactly as submitted.

According to the indictment, Njoku’s office submitted claims for visits and services that never took place and those that happened when he was out of the country. Scott-Guiler, who is not licensed to practice medicine, allegedly provided some patient care in Njoku’s absence and handed out prescriptions for narcotics and other drugs with a pre-signed pad.

An arraignment date hasn’t been set for either defendant, but both face:

• 14 counts of making false statements tied to health-care payments, each count punishable by up to five years in prison.

• One count of health-care fraud, which carries a maximum 10-year term.

• Four counts of illegal distribution of controlled substances, which carry a maximum 20-year term.

Njoku also could receive up to four years for allegedly distributing a controlled substance without following federal procedures.